One of my favorite movies. I miss watching the actual cartoon. I grew up on watching Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. I wouldn't mind reliving my childhood days. Those were the days. Playing kick ball out side, watching Sailor moon, Captain planet, playing pogs, listening to new kids on the block. ahhhh..good memories ...=}
Below is the full verison of Alvin and the Chipmunks 2007. I want to share it so enjoy!
Watch Video
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving with the Bay Folks
So today is the official Thanksgiving Day. I just got back from having dinner with my Bay Area friends. When we got to Itawon, we went searching for a Thanksgiving special. Unfortunately we couldn't find anything. In the end we settled for Outback Steakhouse.
I thought I was going to have to spend my Thanksgiving alone or with some strangers this year, but I am thankful to have spent it with people I actually know from my hometown.
Although I'm away from home and I didn't get to eat turkey this year, I think overall I had a Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for being able to have this lifetime experience. I am thankful for all the love I received from friends and family back home. I thought everyone forgot about me, but now I know that I am missed. And last, but not least, I am thankful for having a great circle of support. Happy Thanksgiving Day Everyone!...=D
Thanksgiving Day in Seoul, Korea. November 27th, 2008.
I thought I was going to have to spend my Thanksgiving alone or with some strangers this year, but I am thankful to have spent it with people I actually know from my hometown.
Although I'm away from home and I didn't get to eat turkey this year, I think overall I had a Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for being able to have this lifetime experience. I am thankful for all the love I received from friends and family back home. I thought everyone forgot about me, but now I know that I am missed. And last, but not least, I am thankful for having a great circle of support. Happy Thanksgiving Day Everyone!...=D
Thanksgiving Day in Seoul, Korea. November 27th, 2008.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
In your face T-mobile...
Woot Woot!!!
It's official, I can now drive in Korea ( not that I would want to) . I wonder what T-mobile has to say now. If this still isn't sufficient or reliable enough for them to solidify my residency in Korea then I don't know what else they want.
It was a simple task. I had to take a 20 question computerized exam and that was it. Honestly I didn't even study last night. I fell asleep after watching an incredible episode of Prison Break. This sums it up.
Getting a driver's license in Korea makes me miss my baby C.L even more now...={...I hope it's treating my sister well, just like it did with me.
On a side note, I hate my hair in this picture. I look like some middle-aged Korean Native...lol...Happy American Thanksgiving!!!
It's official, I can now drive in Korea ( not that I would want to) . I wonder what T-mobile has to say now. If this still isn't sufficient or reliable enough for them to solidify my residency in Korea then I don't know what else they want.
It was a simple task. I had to take a 20 question computerized exam and that was it. Honestly I didn't even study last night. I fell asleep after watching an incredible episode of Prison Break. This sums it up.
Getting a driver's license in Korea makes me miss my baby C.L even more now...={...I hope it's treating my sister well, just like it did with me.
On a side note, I hate my hair in this picture. I look like some middle-aged Korean Native...lol...Happy American Thanksgiving!!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A day in the Life....
Currently: Munchin' my Krispy Kreme and listening to some John Mayer.
Okiee Dokiee...
Tuesday November 25th, here in Korea.
8 am: Wake up and get ready for work.
8:30 am: Leave my apartment and walk to work. Get to School by 8:40 am (my usual schedule).
9 am: First class starts. Teach until 12:10 pm. Each class lasts for 40 min with a 10 min break in between.
12:10 pm: go to lunch. Time for another day of rice, kimchi, and some nasty Korean stew. If I lose my good appetite when I get back; I'm blaming Korea.
1 pm: Last class of the day. (I normally teach 4-5 40 min classes on a daily basis.)
1:40 pm: class ends. Work on lesson plan or any work that needs to get done. ( I normally just surf the web)
4:40 pm: Go home.
So that's my typical weekday, but today I ran some errands after work.
Today...
5 pm: caught the subway to the DMV.
5:15pm: Got to the DMV and asked the foreign license department if I could exchange my US driver's license for a Korean one. FYI: I'm doing this not because I want to drive in Korea, but the deceiving corporation of T-mobile says that I have to or else they will charge me the full termination fee for my mobile account, which will cost me close to $500. And if I don't pay, they'll send me to collection, even though I already sent them another form of verification, which they claimed to be insufficient....Anyways, long story....
5:45 pm: got everything done at the DMV, but have to go back tomorrow to take a darn test!
6 pm: Stopped by Krispy Kreme and bought a dozen of delicious donuts.
VERY PRODUCTIVE day. And you know what? You don't need to speak any Korean to get things done around here. Everyone speaks English. That I like. And oh, one of my students taught me a new way to sport my Korean scarf. Yay!
Tomorrow: Go to work. leave work around lunch time to get my stitches remove. FYI: I got two of my wisdom teeth extracted a week ago and it was a very pleasant experience, not as catastrophic as I'd imagined it to be. After that go pay my bills at then bank then go take the test at the DMV and hopefully get my license.
Now it's 7 pm. Get ready for a nice warm shower and then study.
Okiee Dokiee...
Tuesday November 25th, here in Korea.
8 am: Wake up and get ready for work.
8:30 am: Leave my apartment and walk to work. Get to School by 8:40 am (my usual schedule).
9 am: First class starts. Teach until 12:10 pm. Each class lasts for 40 min with a 10 min break in between.
12:10 pm: go to lunch. Time for another day of rice, kimchi, and some nasty Korean stew. If I lose my good appetite when I get back; I'm blaming Korea.
1 pm: Last class of the day. (I normally teach 4-5 40 min classes on a daily basis.)
1:40 pm: class ends. Work on lesson plan or any work that needs to get done. ( I normally just surf the web)
4:40 pm: Go home.
So that's my typical weekday, but today I ran some errands after work.
Today...
5 pm: caught the subway to the DMV.
5:15pm: Got to the DMV and asked the foreign license department if I could exchange my US driver's license for a Korean one. FYI: I'm doing this not because I want to drive in Korea, but the deceiving corporation of T-mobile says that I have to or else they will charge me the full termination fee for my mobile account, which will cost me close to $500. And if I don't pay, they'll send me to collection, even though I already sent them another form of verification, which they claimed to be insufficient....Anyways, long story....
5:45 pm: got everything done at the DMV, but have to go back tomorrow to take a darn test!
6 pm: Stopped by Krispy Kreme and bought a dozen of delicious donuts.
VERY PRODUCTIVE day. And you know what? You don't need to speak any Korean to get things done around here. Everyone speaks English. That I like. And oh, one of my students taught me a new way to sport my Korean scarf. Yay!
Tomorrow: Go to work. leave work around lunch time to get my stitches remove. FYI: I got two of my wisdom teeth extracted a week ago and it was a very pleasant experience, not as catastrophic as I'd imagined it to be. After that go pay my bills at then bank then go take the test at the DMV and hopefully get my license.
Now it's 7 pm. Get ready for a nice warm shower and then study.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Kids....
Listening to: Pretty Boy by M2M
Currently: Drinking hot tea in the teacher's lounge writing this blog.
Today's lesson went extremely well and I feel that the kids are actually starting to feel comfortable around me. Normally, I would be able to sense the student's unwillingness to learn English, but today I didn't. Many of these students feel that learning English is a torture. I don't blame them for having that type of mentality about English. These kids are perhaps the most hard working kids I've ever seen. Their whole life revolves around learning English and doing good in school.
Korea has a limited number of colleges and their acceptance rate is extremely low, which puts tension and stress upon these kids. When they get to high school, it's even more intense. Most high school students attend school from morning to dawn. According to what I know, most high school students would attend a private English institution after attending their regular school session. Some of my elementary kids are already doing that. And on the weekends, they study. There is a large demand for Native English teachers and these Koreans are willing to pay the price.
The pressure that the Korean society puts upon these kids is ridiculous. These kids are not even acting as kids any more. I can't remember ever working this hard when I was a kid. All I remember was having fun and being a kid. While my parents did repeatedly emphasize the idea of success to me, they didn't quite remotely dictate that idea to me like these Korean parents are doing to their kids. My idea of success and doing good in school was gradually learned through patience, mistakes, self-growth, and motivation from my family and friends.
In Korea, it appears that they don't tolerate mistakes and there is no room for failure. Lugubrious as it is to see these kids having to think and behave like adults; this is Korea. And the dreadful thing about Korea's education system is that, elementary kids don't get graded, hence regardless of how well or poorly they perform in school, they will still be able to move on to the next level.
I find this type of system to be ineffective. Since these kids are not graded, they have no idea what level they are at and the repercussion of this results with the students having to study twice as hard when they do move on to the next level.
Currently: Drinking hot tea in the teacher's lounge writing this blog.
Today's lesson went extremely well and I feel that the kids are actually starting to feel comfortable around me. Normally, I would be able to sense the student's unwillingness to learn English, but today I didn't. Many of these students feel that learning English is a torture. I don't blame them for having that type of mentality about English. These kids are perhaps the most hard working kids I've ever seen. Their whole life revolves around learning English and doing good in school.
Korea has a limited number of colleges and their acceptance rate is extremely low, which puts tension and stress upon these kids. When they get to high school, it's even more intense. Most high school students attend school from morning to dawn. According to what I know, most high school students would attend a private English institution after attending their regular school session. Some of my elementary kids are already doing that. And on the weekends, they study. There is a large demand for Native English teachers and these Koreans are willing to pay the price.
The pressure that the Korean society puts upon these kids is ridiculous. These kids are not even acting as kids any more. I can't remember ever working this hard when I was a kid. All I remember was having fun and being a kid. While my parents did repeatedly emphasize the idea of success to me, they didn't quite remotely dictate that idea to me like these Korean parents are doing to their kids. My idea of success and doing good in school was gradually learned through patience, mistakes, self-growth, and motivation from my family and friends.
In Korea, it appears that they don't tolerate mistakes and there is no room for failure. Lugubrious as it is to see these kids having to think and behave like adults; this is Korea. And the dreadful thing about Korea's education system is that, elementary kids don't get graded, hence regardless of how well or poorly they perform in school, they will still be able to move on to the next level.
I find this type of system to be ineffective. Since these kids are not graded, they have no idea what level they are at and the repercussion of this results with the students having to study twice as hard when they do move on to the next level.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Catching up on a Saturday night.....
Okay let me try to transcribe a current event in my adventurous life in Korea from my memory into an intriguing summary of anecdote.
It was a Saturday afternoon. I took the subway to Koyoto to buy a card reader and met up with some friends later that evening. After fours years of not seeing each other, the irony of meeting up with my two long lost college buddies is something I find quite amusing. I find that life, is full of surprises.
All three of us lived in the same town back in the states and never once did we run in to each other. One day a friend aim me and our conversation goes something like this:
Fragilenotcheap: Sup Homie, where you been?
Thisbeadara: Who's this?
Fragilenotcheap: Guess who?
Thisbedara: Maria
Fragilenotcheap: Nope, I'm someone that goes to Hayward.
Thisbedara: Oh Nai?
Fragilenotcheap: Oh dang good guess. How you been buddy?
Thisbedara: I'm good, hey guess where I'm at right now? I moved...
Fragilenotcheap: Let me guess Korea.
Thisbdara: Oh dangggggggg wassup, good ass guess.
Fragilenotcheap: Oh shit you forreal? Me tooo!!!
And the conversation continues....
We were finally able to meet up on Saturday. Myself, along with Nai, Wendy, and another girl from SFSU went shopping at Costco. So the journey of the day continues. I met up with them at some station that is presumed to be 3 blocks away from Costco, according to the map. We walked awhile and still have yet to encounter a Costco. None of us speak Korean so I proposed an idea. I told them about a free translation line where they have volunteer translators working the phone line 24 hrs. I called the line and asked for a translator and proceed to hand the phone to a complete stranger. Before I realize that this isn't going to work and that this idea is far more difficult than I imagine it to be, the stranger called us a taxi. I'm like," okay, where is this taxi going to take us?" Luckily, everything went fine and our destination was reached.
So we did our shopping and I finally found the the pumpkin pie and avocado I've been craving for.
We all headed back to the subway and since there weren't any seats left, we occupied the senior's seat and yield when necessary. As we were speaking jubilantly and attempt to fill in the blanks from our four years of absence, an ajumma turned over to me and shushed me! Sorry! This is funniest thing in Korea so far, well aside from the time when the electronic toilet at my school attacked me...lol.. I will never forget that.
Here's a sign I saw in Costco. If you ask me, I'd say..please revise...lol
It was a Saturday afternoon. I took the subway to Koyoto to buy a card reader and met up with some friends later that evening. After fours years of not seeing each other, the irony of meeting up with my two long lost college buddies is something I find quite amusing. I find that life, is full of surprises.
All three of us lived in the same town back in the states and never once did we run in to each other. One day a friend aim me and our conversation goes something like this:
Fragilenotcheap: Sup Homie, where you been?
Thisbeadara: Who's this?
Fragilenotcheap: Guess who?
Thisbedara: Maria
Fragilenotcheap: Nope, I'm someone that goes to Hayward.
Thisbedara: Oh Nai?
Fragilenotcheap: Oh dang good guess. How you been buddy?
Thisbedara: I'm good, hey guess where I'm at right now? I moved...
Fragilenotcheap: Let me guess Korea.
Thisbdara: Oh dangggggggg wassup, good ass guess.
Fragilenotcheap: Oh shit you forreal? Me tooo!!!
And the conversation continues....
We were finally able to meet up on Saturday. Myself, along with Nai, Wendy, and another girl from SFSU went shopping at Costco. So the journey of the day continues. I met up with them at some station that is presumed to be 3 blocks away from Costco, according to the map. We walked awhile and still have yet to encounter a Costco. None of us speak Korean so I proposed an idea. I told them about a free translation line where they have volunteer translators working the phone line 24 hrs. I called the line and asked for a translator and proceed to hand the phone to a complete stranger. Before I realize that this isn't going to work and that this idea is far more difficult than I imagine it to be, the stranger called us a taxi. I'm like," okay, where is this taxi going to take us?" Luckily, everything went fine and our destination was reached.
So we did our shopping and I finally found the the pumpkin pie and avocado I've been craving for.
We all headed back to the subway and since there weren't any seats left, we occupied the senior's seat and yield when necessary. As we were speaking jubilantly and attempt to fill in the blanks from our four years of absence, an ajumma turned over to me and shushed me! Sorry! This is funniest thing in Korea so far, well aside from the time when the electronic toilet at my school attacked me...lol.. I will never forget that.
Here's a sign I saw in Costco. If you ask me, I'd say..please revise...lol
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
